


An Angel's Kiss

by Blaze22



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: "Bendy" isn't Bendy, AU, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Reader is female but coould have been gender neutral, he's his voice actor, plot is Princess and the Frog but in Joey Drew Studios
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-01-12 19:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18453077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaze22/pseuds/Blaze22
Summary: Jay Carrington, Bendy's voice actor, finds himself agreeing to a deal from Joey Drew that turns out not to be what he anticipated. In hopes of reverting his life back to normal, he drags you into it - but only succeeds in making things much more messier.Now each stuck inside of a cartoon body, the two of you are left to hide out in the studio, all the while racing against the clock to find the way to break the curse - before it's too late.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This AU story is inspired by several awesome authors on this site and fandom who have written /Reader stories before! It's also, like the tags say, much inspired by the Princess and the Frog plot. And to make things crystal clear if you didn't read the tags - "Bendy" is not Bendy, he is his voice actor, Jay. Sorry if that's not what you're looking for, but I hope that this will still be enjoyable in the long run. 
> 
> Also, Chapter 1 will start with the reader action and will be longer than this.

Deep underground, an office door creaked open. 

A young man stepped in. He was Jay Carrington, Bendy's voice actor. He quickly found Joey, who sat behind his desk.

"Come on in, take a seat," Joey said. After he was seated, Joey folded his arms against his chest and spoke. "Have I got a deal for you, Mr. Carrington."

"What kinda deal?" Jay asked.

"One that would bring dreams to _life_. I'll admit, the dark arts might have an itsy bitsy role to play in it."

Jay tilted his chin up, his sharp brown gaze boring into his employer. "And what's in it for me?"

White teeth flashed into a grin. "Fame. Fortune. The two things _you_ have always strived for." 

Jay's eyes narrowed, but he didn't speak. 

Joey chuckled, but his smile faded as he leaned forward. He rested his elbows on the desk and pointed a long forefinger at him. "I think we _both_ know that talent isn't what got you this job. But if you want that Carrington name to be known, to be _yours_ . . ."

Jay's expression twisted, but he maintained eye contact. He ran his fingers through his black hair as his lips formed a thin line. Then he nodded ever so slightly. 

Joey chuckled again, though this time the laugh was considerably deeper - darker. "Go on, shake my hand." The blond man extended his arm. 

Jay, wasting no time, leaned across the desk and firmly shook his hand. "Now what?" he asked, releasing his grip. 

Joey's eyebrows rose. "Why, I let my friends on the other side do their work." He directed his eyes to Jay's feet. Jay followed his gaze. 

A pentagram that was not present before faintly glew black on the floor. It sported various shapes and seemed to be carved into the wood.

Jay stood and took a step to the side of the chair, only to find himself in the center of the symbol. His mouth opened, but before a sound was uttered five black, wispy tendrils rose from the circle of the pentagram. In a flash, they wrapped their way around the man. His body was hidden from sight as a black cloud fogged around his form. 

Joey clasped his hands together and rested his chin atop of them as he watched the transformation. "I hope you're satisfied," he whispered, a smile stretching onto his lips. 

"If not, you can blame my friends on the other side."


	2. Transformation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: chapter titles have been added. Because there's a prologue, keep it in the back of your mind that "chapter two" is actually chapter one and so forth.

There's just _something_ about going through the motions, but it's hard to place a finger on. Having a schedule that remains the same for days gives comfort in knowing what to expect and understanding what you strive for in these repetitive times. Sure, it can get boring and may feel like you're simply surviving instead of living, but hey, at least you're certain of what's to come. 

It was this way in Joey Drew Studios, where yet another day was completed. You had been hired three months ago to be a clarinetist in the band. At the age of twenty and previously hired at a convenience store as a cashier, you considered yourself lucky. Mr. Drew had heard a performance of you playing your clarinet on a street corner in an attempt to get spare change. He hired you on the spot, either impressed with your skill or he took pity on you, though perhaps both. You were saving up each meager penny you made to attend a drama school in hopes of landing a career in voice acting. Now that you worked with slightly better pay in a famous studio where your dream job could take place, it spurred your ambition on further. 

You closed your instrument case with a soft 'thud' and two clicks, then waved goodbye to your bandmates as they exited the recording studio. You cast a discreet glance to Susie Campbell, who talked to Sammy as they walked out. Therefore, that left you the only one in the studio - in your department, at least.

You shuffled your sheet music together and placed it on top of your case that was tucked beneath the chair you sat on, then picked up the remaining pieces of paper on the stand. You had managed to smuggle a script of the most recent episode off of one of the voice actor's desks. You wanted to quench your curiosity of what it felt like to perform as a voice actress, to speak words and bring the moving pictures to life on the screen. 

That was what led you to make your way to the recording booth. Your fingers wrapped around the cool metal of the doorknob, then turned. You paused. 

No one. 

You stepped forward, tilting your head to the side at the sight of the microphone that hung from the ceiling. So this was where the magic happened. You exhaled and stepped up to the microphone, then glanced down to the papers you clutched. Deciding to not waste anymore time, you began to speak, reading Alice Angel's lines. The microphone was not on(you didn't know how to work the system), but simply _standing_ in the recording booth and pretending that this was your day-to-day work exhilarated you.

Halfway through your reading of the script, you paused for a breath. 

"Psst!" 

Your brows furrowed as you straightened up and twisted your head. You could have sworn you were alone - until now, at least. 

"Who's there?" you asked, narrowing your eyes. The space was empty. 

Then you saw it. Two sharp points of black. The door creaked open. You turned, body stiff as you watched a figure enter the room. 

"What the-?" you exclaimed, unable to finish the sentence. One of your neck muscles jumped at the sight. 

In front of you stood a demon. A humanized one, at that. He stood at five feet tall, had high cheekbones, and his body was black and unclothed - asides from his face, which was pure ivory, and a white bowtie. A thin, whiplike tail curled around his ankle as his pie-cut eyes blinked at you. It looked like one of the Bendy cardboard cutouts setting around the studio had sprung to life right before your eyes. 

"Heya-" A yelp cut off his greeting. You had smacked him in between the horns with your, now rolled up, papers. 

"Get-Get away from me!"

He held his hands up in a form of surrender, then winced and reached up to rub the dip between his horns. "Woah, calm down, toots. I'm not tryin' to hurt ya."

Your chest heaved as you took a step back, the back of your head bumping against the cold microphone. "What _are_ you?" you asked. There was no point in panicking - surely you were dreaming. You reached to pinch your arm, and there was a small spark of pain. No, it was all real. He was not making any advances, so it seemed you were safe for the time being.

"Well, first of all, it's not 'what'." He huffed and crossed his arms. "I'm Jay." 

You frowned. Jay, as in Jay Carrington, Bendy's voice actor? You and Jay worked on the same floor of the studio, but were never any more than acquaintances. Your demeanor around those in your department varied, and you didn't know _everyone_ too well - which included Jay, a happy-go-lucky young man.

"Okay . . ." You cocked an eyebrow.  "So, first, I'd need to believe that I'm seeing a literal cartoon, and it's talking in front of me." You pinched the bridge of your nose and closed your eyes, then opened them. "And now you want me to believe that I'm talking to Jay? You're insane. I should go."

"No, darlin', wait!" He stepped in front of the door, squaring his shoulders. You took a step forward, but hesitated as you frowned down at him. 

"I'm not here to scare ya. I just need a quick, little favor. Ya don't have to believe who I am, or figure out what I'm doin' here. Please, just listen?"

After a moment of consideration and chewing your lip, you said, "Fine - the quicker I can go home, the better. What is it?"

"I need ya to kiss me."

"What?" you asked, your tone climbing in pitch. "God no. Seriously, get out of my way." You clutched at the script tighter, your free hand curling into a fist.

"I swear, I have an explanation!" He held out his hands, palms up. He spoke quickly, as if he was afraid of getting hit again. "It's too complicated to explain, and there's magic involved. Just . . . trust me on this. One quick kiss, and I'll get outta your way. Deal?" His pie-cut eyes widened as he looked up at you, his tail curling hopefully behind his back. 

You raised your eyebrows. You weren't sure why the idea of kissing a stranger, nevertheless a _talking cartoon_ , was even crossing your mind. "So . . . you aren't some creep, right?" you asked.

"Righto! Plus, I bet it's not any day ya get to kiss a handsome guy, huh?" He flashed a quick, toothy grin before he puckered up and leaned forward, shutting his eyes in anticipation. 

"I'm going to regret this," you murmured. Not giving yourself time to change your mind, you bent at your waist and pecked his lips. You wrinkled your nose in disgust, withdrew with a scoff, and wiped at your mouth with the back of your hand, preparing to snark back at his previous comment. 

The words died in your throat as you saw black mist hazing your vision. You let out a cry of surprise. Why was the room so foggy? It looked like a grey veil had been draped over everything. The black and white cartoon in front of you blurred, seeming to grow taller.

Finally, your sight cleared. You heaved a sigh of relief, then looked down at yourself. 

What you saw made you scream.


	3. Faint

Your skirt and blouse that you had worn for the work day were gone. Instead, overalls covered your body. 

Except it wasn't _your_ body.

You had shrunk, and while your body shape remained quite similar to what it was before, a smooth, black substance, rather than skin, stretched across your form. You held out your hands and saw that white gloves covered them. Frantically, you reached up and patted your face. Sharp teeth. Pie-cut eyes. Rounded, soft ears on the top of your head. Your hair was still present, but as you pulled a lock to look at it, it had been grayscaled.

You choked on your saliva as you registered those details. 

You began to cough, and panic blinded your vision as you screwed your eyes shut. 

When you opened them, you focused on breathing; oxygen filled your lungs, then released. You repeated the process until your heart rate slowed.

You looked up to see the Bendy figure murmuring frantically to himself. "No, no, no," he said, shaking his head. He looked down at his gloved hands, then felt his horns and cupped his white cheeks. "It was supposed to work." He made eye contact with you. 

Your face crumbled. You reached up and tugged at the ears that had appeared. "What," you breathed and paused, then shouted, "What did you _do_?" You pulled on them harder and let go as pain prickled your scalp. You tightly wrapped your arms around your torso, rocking back on your heels, then forward to your toes.

"What did _I_ do?" he asked incredulously. "It was supposed to work! I was supposed to go back to bein' human again!" 

"Well it obviously backfired! Where'd the idea of a _kiss_ making that happen come from anyways?" you said, your pulse quickening again. 

"It said that an angel's kiss would turn me back. But . . ." He stopped and pointed at you. "You! You aren't an angel's voice actor, are ya?" 

Your eyes widened, and you felt a boiling heat rise to your face. "No, I'm not. I'm a clarinetist in the band." You pronounced each word slowly, like you spoke to a child. If he still claimed to be Jay, which you had a hard time believing, then he would have _known_ that you were not a voice actor and that Susie was the only person who voice acted as Alice(besides Allison Pendle on the rare occasion). 

Jay groaned and buried his head in his hands. "But ya were readin' Alice's lines - I thought you were an intern for Susie or somethin', damn it!"

You threw your hands up, grey dusting your cheeks. "Hold on - _no_. You do _not_ get to pin this on me. Maybe if you paid attention to your coworkers and hadn't acted rashly, you would've known my name and what I actually do. For goodness sake, you could've just asked Susie!" 

Jay scowled fiercely and hesitated before he responded. "If ya couldn't tell, darlin', ya don't really have a clear thinkin' mind when ya look like a cart-"

You cut him off, your throat tightening in renewing fear. "I-" The sound died in your throat before you got past the first word of your remark. Your vision blurred. Lightness swam in your head. 

Then your knees buckled. As your eyes slipped shut and you fell, the last thing you saw was a pair of horns blotting out the ceiling. Then it went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short length of this! Don't get any expectations for a minimum word count, I just write what I have planned. If you're enjoying, a kudos is appreciated, though not required!
> 
> Also, I have tumblr now! Feel free to follow me @blaze022, and I'll be posting when I update the story.  
> Have a fantastic day!


	4. Dolls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late-ish update - I was working on some other writing. But this chapter is longer to make up for it!

Your eyes fluttered open, blurry images dancing before you. A groan escaped you as you propped yourself onto your elbows. 

Finally, you became aware of your surroundings. A Boris poster and a ticking Bendy clock on the walls greeted you. You laid on a cot. You fully sat up and swung your legs over the side of the bunk. Wincing, you reached up and rubbed your temples in an attempt to rid the headache pounding your skull. 

Then your memories came flooding back as you stared down at the gloves covering your hands. You looked up and stumbled through the door and into the hallway, eyes widening and mind clearing. You were still in the studio, but in a place you had never been before. 

After rounding a corner and entering an enclosed midsized space, you found your target. 

Jay. 

He leaned against a wall with his shoulder, his thin tail flicking lazily. He stared at an unlit cigarette tilted between his fingers, not taking notice of your entrance. 

You cleared your throat. He looked up, pie-cut eyes widening slightly. "You're awake," he commented, slowly. 

"Yes . . ." you said and raised your eyebrows. "And where am I? Where did you take me?" You bit your lower lip, tugging it in. You couldn't panic now. 

"Darlin', you fainted. I carried you down here, to where I've been stayin'. And it's now sometime early in the mornin'."

Your jaw dropped down, but you were quick to snap it shut. So that explained the lingering dizziness and why your memory cut short. "First off, cut it out with the names." You glared. "I'm (Y/N)." 

"Okay . . ." Jay drawled and twirled the cigarette between his fingers. "Wolf girl." 

You rolled your eyes. With a sigh, you pressed your fingers to your temples again and turned around. You had no clue where 'down here' was, but you were certain of one thing: you needed a mirror. You walked hesitantly as you searched for one, peering around the corners until you finally turned into a bathroom space. Grimacing as you approached the mirror, you stood still. 

The image that greeted you was a stranger. 

The qualities that had stood out to you earlier burned your eyes. You reached up and rubbed your eyes and blinked rapidly, then looked back. 

The humanlike Boris, wolfish image was right here, all in black and white. 

You groaned and rested your head in your hands. When you looked back up, a demon's reflection stood behind you in the doorway. 

"Why are you being so calm about this?" you asked, tilting your head as you remained facing forward. 

He shrugged and narrowed his eyes. "Took me a bit to get used to too, y'know."

You turned around to face him and threw your hands up. "But aren't you _afraid_? Afraid that this is what you're going to be like for the rest of your life?"

He scoffed, his hands now empty. "You're the one who messed this all up. By now," He checked his wrist for a nonexistent watch. "I was supposed to be on my merry way to work, in my _normal_ body."

"So was I . . ." Your eyes narrowed. That was a quick change of subject. "And we went over this. This isn't _my_ fault."

Jay rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

You continued. "So, since you claim to be Jay . . . who did this to you in the first place? And how? Magic, ink, whatever this is, isn't supposed to be alive and _real_."

He lifted his chin. "The boss downstairs did - Joey. He made a deal with me, and I ended up like this. God knows how, so don't try to ask me. It just makes my head hurt."

You crossed your arms over your chest. Judging by how tense his body was, like a coil ready to spring, you wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't telling you the whole story. You said, "Well, at the moment, you're my only source of information. And help."

Before you could continue, he said with a dry chuckle, "Help? Nice try, wolf girl. I only carried ya here so the music department wouldn't freak in the morning seein' ya all knocked out. I've got enough problems right now with this mess, so I'm only focused on lookin' out for myself - which means I'm _not_ puttin' up with whatever detective work you're gonna get up to." He turned on his heel and stalked out of the bathroom. 

Your mouth dropped open in indignance. "Woah, woah, woah. No." You hurried after him, your shrunken legs struggling to keep up with his surprisingly long strides. "I don't know where to go. I can't go home, because who knows what would happen if someone saw me. Walking around the studio isn't exactly an option, since one of our coworkers would chase me out with a broom and a Bible. And this seems like the most convenient place where I can stay while finding a way to fix this."

By then, the two of you had reemerged in the larger space. Jay quickly turned, which made you halt in your tracks in order to avoid colliding into his chest. You tilted your chin up to meet his hardened gaze, but didn't back away. 

"Listen here, darlin'," he said, a growl inching into his words as his tail whipped back and forth. "You and me have got the same goal: get the hell out of whatever we're in. And I don't need some kid taggin' around with me while I do that for myself. Got that?" He towered further above you by leaning forward, and you finally took a step back to create space.

You straightened your shoulders. "Nope. Because I _am_ staying here, whether you like it or not. Case closed." 

His threatening posture slipped away with a sag of his shoulders as you flounced past him. "Seriously?" he asked, a whine rising in his pitch. 

"Stop complaining. If that's the best you've got to get me to leave, nice try. Anyways, it's not like you're looking after a ten-year-old," you said.

"I'm not kiddin'! This tiny storage place can only fit so much, and I want my space."

You ignored him as he continued on, and you sat down on one of the two wooden chairs around the round table in the nook. Surrounding you was a simple, open space, which seemed to be an odd sort of storage room. It contained several ink pipes connected to the walls, a few shelves, quite a few barrels, and what looked like an oven. 

On the table rested a book and two dolls: one a Bendy plush, and the other a Boris plush. You tilted your head as you picked up the Boris doll, squeezing the soft material in your glove covered hands. It let out a soft squeak. "Where'd these come from?" you asked, interrupting his complaints. 

He looked over. "Oh, those? Right." Jay rubbed the back of his neck. "That Boris one was next to ya on the ground back in the recording booth. I picked it up when we left." 

You frowned slightly. You hadn't noticed it at that time, but you had probably been too distracted by your new body to pay attention to it. 

He shrugged and continued, "And the little demon was near me right after I was cursed."

You rested your chin in your palm after you set the plush down, your elbow digging into the wood. Your mind was whirling, but you were grateful that you had a moment to simply sit and sort through the overwhelming thoughts. "And why do we look so different from each other?" you asked, brows furrowing. You had hair, the same as before, even though it was grayscaled - he had none. You had a form of clothing(overalls) - he didn't. But, you both did have humanlike qualities mixed with the cartoonish features. 

Jay looked from himself to you, then back. "I dunno. Why, are ya jealous of my tail? It looks great, I know." He grinned widely and angled his body, his spade tipped tail curling near his waist. 

A smirk ghosted your face before it disappeared, and you shook your head. Something dawned upon you as you recalled one of the cartoon posters you had seen pasted in the studio's hallways. 

"That makes sense," you said, mostly to yourself, and you snapped your fingers. "You're Bendy's actor, and I'm a clarinet player - and Boris plays the clarinet." Your nose crinkled. "But how does this even happen? You said something told you about an angel's kiss making you normal. Where'd that come from?" 

"Geez, calm down with all the questions, you're actually actin' like a toddler," he said and sauntered over. He reached across the table and picked up the book resting face down. He held it up, then plopped it unceremoniously in front of you. "That's the thing that said it." 

It read "The Illusion of Living - Joey Drew". 

"Thanks," you said absentmindedly, then flipped the cover open. 

You crossed your fingers. If this didn't hold the answers you needed, then who knew what would.


	5. Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news, bad(ish) news!  
> (just a quick life update)
> 
> Good news: Summer break is here for me, woohoo! :)  
> Bad news: Within the next six weeks I'll be away from home for three of them for various reasons. If a slow update in the future comes your way, that's why. But feel free to check out my other finished works as you wait!
> 
> Thank you guys bunches for the support you've shown this, and have a lovely summer! <3

You pressed the heels of your hands against your closed eyes, exhaling in a long sigh. Dropping your hands down, you smoothed your thumb over the front cover of the ebony book. The headache that had been present earlier was now a steady, dull thrum in the back of your head, not yet chased away. 

You weren't sure how much time had passed since Jay had shown you Joey's book, but you'd quickly gone to work. After searching through the shelves, you had scrounged up a quill and a well of ink. 

You had flipped through the book, intent on finding the answers you -- or, both of you -- needed. The pages were now covered in ink scribbles: your notes, what you thought was important.

You leaned back in the chair and thumbed to the dog-eared page in the middle, lines softly creasing your forehead as you studied what you had underlined. You glanced over to Jay. He stood over the stove, his back to you. He'd been attempting for the past hour to light his cigarette over the weak flames of the stove, but with no success. 

"Jay, can you come here for a second?" you asked

"Sure." He turned and walked over, opting to lean against the wooden wall behind the second chair. 

"I found quite a bit in the book. I figured I'd share it with you-"

"I already read it," Jay said, a scowl forming. "And look where it ended me up. How about you-"

You cut him off. "I know that. How about _you_ stay quiet for a moment and listen?" You narrowed your eyes, but ensured that your tone remained steady. "My viewpoint, a new one, might put a fresh perspective on things. So, please, just listen?" 

His tail tip flicked back and forth, his black eyes narrowing dangerously. After a tense moment, he sighed. "Fine. Go ahead."

"Thanks." You flipped to the first page. "Okay, there's a lot of . . ." you trailed off as you stared at the pentagram adorning the page. "Satanicish stuff in here. And other technical things. I think it's Joey's research, or 'findings' about the kind of thing we're trapped in now."

"Mhm," he hummed. 

"But," you said and held up one finger. "I found the same part you did. The angel's kiss thing. To quote, "in order to break the curse, a kiss must be shared with the angel"."

"Mhm."

You scanned the page, not lifting your gaze. "Under it, though, is an alternative." You frowned. "I think. It's confusing, but it basically says that destroying the "ink heart" will break the curse as well. And I'm pretty sure that's the Ink Machine."

"And there's a catch," you continued. There's always one, isn't there? You shivered as you read. "It says on another page, "if the curse is not broken by the next full moon, then it shall remain permanent"." 

"Yep," was his response. 

You sharply looked up. "Are you _not_ worried about that?" you asked, your eyes widening in disbelief. He now held a deck of cards in place of the cigarette, idly thumbing through them. You weren't sure where those had come from, but you didn't care. 

Jay also looked up and met your gaze. "What's the big deal now?" he asked. 

You groaned softly and closed your eyes briefly, then opened them. Your already worn thin patience felt ready to snap. You repeated the moon statement, slower.

His brows furrowed as it sunk in, mouth forming a small 'o'.

You laughed humorlessly, lightly shaking your head. "Exactly. I'm sick of this crap. If we're not both in this, we're screwed. Why can't you understand that?"

His lips parted and curled, but after a hesitation, he sighed. "Sorry," he said(to you, it was comparable to a child's apology, like when they weren't _genuinely_ sorry - but it was better than nothing, so you'd take it). "Carry on." He set the cards on the round table beside the two dolls and slouched further against the wood. 

"So the most obvious and easiest thing is to get a kiss from Susie. We should have plenty of time . . ." You turned the dry quill in your fingers, not noticing the way Jay's face twisted like he had eaten a lemon. You asked, "Exactly how many days ago did you get cursed?"

The cartoon counted on his fingers. "Uh, countin' yesterday, two." 

You jotted it down inside of the blank front cover. "The last full moon peaked three days ago," you murmured, continuing to write. 

"How'd ya know that?" he asked, scoffing. 

You didn't look up. "I like to take nightly walks outside the city sometimes. It's hard to miss when it's full." 

"And a full moon cycle lasts about four weeks, give or take a day. That means," you said, setting the quill down and glancing up, "we've got around three and a half weeks to make this work."

"Huh. Didn't know that wolf girl had brains in her. Ya learn somethin' new every day." 

You rolled your eyes and stood up. You grimaced - you'd been sitting in one place for far too long, and it took you a moment to be sure your balance was regained before you moved.

Jay cleared his throat as you wiped your gloved finger on the rim of the ink well, then turned to face the wall. "About Susie," he said. "You're gonna do the convincin' and kiss and all that, right?" 

You traced your finger against the wall, creating three small, vertical black lines. To count the days. You wiped your ink-stained finger on your already inked over arm and turned. "No." You dragged the word out. "It'd probably only work if _you_ did it because you were the one who started this all. Why? Is your _charm_ taking a dive for the deep end?"

"Hah, no. It's just . . ." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Ya see, Susie and I don't have a great past."

You smirked. "Aw, were the two of you too big for one recording booth? Wait, don't tell me. You tried to flirt with her, Sammy came after you, and now she hates you."

That managed to elicit a tiny chuckle from him. "No. Well, yes about the 'big' part. Some would say we're both drama queens, I guess?" 

You could see that. Your small smirk remained; you could tell those words were reluctantly grating from his mouth. With a shrug, you said, "It'll work out. I don't know her very well, but we'll convince her." 

Jay nodded, lifting his chin up as he watched you lean against the wall and reach up to feel one of your drooping ears. Silence danced between the two of you, only broken by the groans of the ink pipes in the walls.

"I'm sorry," you said quietly. 

You could have sworn his horns perked at your words. "Hm?" he asked. 

"I'm sorry for snapping at you a couple minutes ago. It wasn't like me." You crossed your arms over your chest. With all that had happened and the overwhelming emotions(shock, stress, confusion), your tongue was looser than you would've preferred. Keeping your patience and cool around others was something you thought you were decent at - until now. The idea of this being Jay's first impression of you didn't sit well, even with his distanced attitude. 

You glanced up, and he was still watching you, expressionless. "It's fine," he said. 

Your eyebrows raised. "I mean, in this body, I feel like the _me_ is gone. It's weird." 

He smirked. "Nah, it's still you in there, trust me. You just got an upgrade on the physical side of things." 

You scoffed. Ready to reply, you looked down as your stomach loudly rumbled.

Jay chuckled. "Ya hungry, wolf girl?"


	6. Soup

Across the room and with your back to Jay, who stood over the stove, you searched for bowls, cups, and spoons in the messy shelves. Hearing a hiss from him, you looked over your shoulder.

"You okay back there?" you asked. Just a few minutes ago, he'd cranked the stove's heat to a dangerous level, making you hurry to turn it down; it, in turn, made you somewhat worried to leave him alone. 

Jay nodded, shaking his hand. "Fine."

"So," you said, "what's on the menu?" 

"Bacon soup." He turned and smirked. "Only thing layin' around here; unless ya count me, of course."

An eyebrow raising, you turned back and busied yourself with the task at hand. Of course - there was bacon soup strewn all about the studio, for a reason unknown to you. You'd never tried it before, but you hadn't eaten for nearly twenty-four hours, so you were hungry enough to not be picky. 

You found the dishes and turned and walked to stand beside him. You placed the bowls and spoons down. "The water in this bathroom is working, right?" you asked. He nodded, focused on the soup. "I'll be right back," you said. 

Filling the cups in the bathroom, you purposefully kept your gaze away from the mocking mirror. With a sigh, you left. 

Pushing the book and dolls to the side, you quietly set the small table. Jay poured the soup into the bowls with a sizzle, and you watched steam curl from the chunky liquid. He placed them before the seats with a flourish and said, "Bon appetit." 

You both sat down, blew on the warm soup, and ate. The silence was thick, and you uncomfortably shifted in your seat. 

Jay broke it after a couple of moments. "Ya like it?" 

You looked up. "The soup?" 

"What else? I mean, me, I guess-"

You hurried to respond. "Yeah, sure." You chuckled. "Weird texture, but it's better than nothing. Guess it has nothing to do with your _fantastic_ cooking skills." 

He grinned. "Aw, ya don't mean that. Cooking premade soup is my expertise."

You pointed your spoon at him, sending a few drops of broth flying to stain the table. "Nah, I've figured it out. _Your_ expertise, Jay, is-"

He interrupted you. "Bein' amazing?"

You bit your tongue. "No, making dumb decisions." 

He scoffed and gulped down his water. "Still think it's your fault for readin' that script."

"Anyways," you said. "I checked the time and it's about four-thirty. Where are we exactly?" You couldn't remember if he'd told you. 

"On level K somewhere." Jay shrugged. "Y'know, the toy level."

"Okay." Your brows furrowed in thought as you stood and scraped your chair back. You kept the dishes where they were; you could clean up later. "Here's the plan. Let's go now. We should have time to catch Susie in her department before she leaves." Alone, hopefully.

He let out a long groan. "Do we have to? I just got comfy."

You pursed your lips. "I mean, unless you want to be stuck here with me for the rest of eternity . . ." 

He jumped to his feet. "Okay, okay, I'm comin', geez." 

You headed for the door. To your pleasant surprise, your headache had faded away, possibly because of the food. Your musings were broken when he said, "Not that way, wolf girl." You paused. 

He walked to the cleared out nook close to the stove and in the back, dragging a chair behind him. Climbing it, he reached up and pulled on a thin, hanging rope you hadn't seen before. A square etched into the ceiling squeaked open, and stairs tumbled down. 

Your eyebrows raised in surprise. He turned around. "That door you're at takes too long to find a way up there. This just goes up," he said, then gave an exaggerated bow. "Ladies first." 

You began to climb, wincing at each step on the small, creaky boards. You emerged into a room. Disoriented, you dusted your hands off on your overalls and glanced around. No one in sight, and the door was closed. Displayed in the center was the lift, and the trapdoor was in one corner, where the stairs going up and down were on the other side.

Jay's voice echoed up. "The coast clear?" 

"Yeah."

He climbed up, shut the trapdoor, and stood next to you, hands on his hips. 

"Oh, so you send me up to face anyone who might be here. Thanks," you said, sarcastically. 

"You're welcome." He cheekily smiled.

He proceeded to explain that if you took the stairs up you'd eventually make it to the Music Department, and it wasn't too far away. The only problem that could be encountered was if someone else was using the stairs - which was likely, especially near the end of the work day. On the bright side, the majority of the studio typically used the lift, and you still had time before people began to clock out. 

Anxious, you began to follow Jay's lead. The two of you didn't talk, besides an occasional whisper, and you paused at the slightest sound. Trouble didn't cross your path. 

Until you reached the level below the music department. 

Jay's tail flicked up, rigidly straight. You nearly stumbled in your effort to stop walking up the steps and to not run into his back. The two of you stood close to the top of a flight of stairs, and a square of flat flooring lay ahead, presumably followed by another set of stairs. 

Preparing to ask what was happening, your mouth opened. Then closed when Jay lowly said, "Quiet, and don't move." 

Your eyes widened. That was when you heard him.

Joey. 

His usual, jolly voice was now loud and demanding, and it sounded straight ahead. 

"Tommy, I'd like to ask you something. Are the simple tasks I give you difficult to handle?" 

A gruff, "No, sir," came.

Joey said, "Good! Because this _needs_ to happen, or else I'm . . ." He paused for a short moment. "So I'll repeat myself _again_. _Find_ that bratty cartoon and bring him back to me. Not so hard, hm?" 

Your mouth dropped open. It wasn't hard to conclude that Joey was talking about Jay. You peered over Jay's shoulder, trying to see if the pair was in sight. They weren't, but they had to be less than ten feet away, and were not moving.

In front of you, Jay tensed. You tapped his shoulder, and his head whipped around, pie-cut eyes wide with fear(an expression you could bet he didn't wear often). You motioned behind you with your thumb, signaling the question to go back down the stairs. He quickly shook his head "no" and pointed down. He put his finger to his lips, turning forward. 

Right. The noise from walking would give you away. Heart threatening to pound out of your chest, you tightly clenched your hands into fists and stayed still. 

Thomas Connor spoke up. "To be frank, Mr. Drew, I just don't get why you're having me run around the studio for this. There's plenty of things relating to my profession that I could be doing, and-"

Joey interrupted him. "Now don't you worry about that one bit. You've been a big help with getting everything started, Ink Machine and all, so I can trust you with my experiments. Let Wally and Murray and the other GENT folks take care of cleaning and repairs. Just get the job done. And if you need help from the other employees, then, damn it, get their help! But not too many, and no one who wouldn't keep their mouth shut. Understood?"

A long pause, then, "Yes, sir." 

"Great to hear." There was a soft sound, one you imagined was a hearty slap on the shoulder. 

Then loud footsteps against wooden boards. 

Right towards you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might notice I'm creating different routes between levels that aren't canon, but it just helps move the story along. 
> 
> This is unrelated, but since I recently took the ACT, here's a quick shout out to anyone who's taking any standardized tests this summer! Don't stress out too much about your scores - you got this. <3


	7. Help

Joey strode towards the stairs, Thomas trailing behind him. A Bendy cutout at the top of the stairs caught Joey's eye for a brief moment, and he sneered. Glancing away, Joey muttered, "Damned things get everywhere now days." 

Then they were gone. 

You had to remind yourself to breathe.

Just a moment before, Jay had bundled you behind him, squishing you between him and the wall. (For once you had been grateful for your now shortened height, putting you out of sight of the passing pair.) Then Jay had frozen in place, with arms out, hands loosely clenched, and still posture. You hadn't understood what he'd been doing, but now you did: he had posed as a Bendy cutout. And quite successfully, apparently. 

He stepped forward and turned to face you, chest heaving.

"Thank you," you said softly. "Seriously." 

Jay looked both ways, then nodded. "Got lucky. We need to go." He took off, and you followed suit. 

The two of you reached your destination: the Music Department. He cracked open the door and peered out. After a few seconds, he beckoned you with one hand and scampered up another flight of stairs. 

Calves burning, you paused behind him. You faintly heard slow music floating through the air - most likely from the band rehearsing in the recording studio. With no one in sight, you both snuck into the nearest, empty room, which sported a billiard table. 

Shutting the door behind you, you leaned your head on the wood and exhaled shakily. "I can't believe we just did that," you thought out loud. 

Jay rigidly stood straight, tail whipping back and forth. "It's not over yet, wolf-"

The doorknob clicked and the door pushed against your back. You yelped and leaped to the side; you scarcely got out of the way before the door swung open. Barely catching the sight of Jay's outstretched hands, you spun around. 

Wally Franks stood staring at you with a broom and dustpan in hand, mouth agape. The broom handle hit the floor with a 'clunk'. 

Jay jumped into action and stepped beside Wally, pushed him out of the way, and closed the door. Then he moved to stand by your side, arms crossed. 

Wally startled and lifted the dustpan up with both hands wrapped around the handle, screwing his eyes shut. Voice trembling, he said, "Whatever demons ya are, stay back!" 

Flinching, you said, "Wally, it's me! (Y/N)! Please calm down."

One of his eyes cracked open. "What?" 

"It's me," you said, slower. "The clarinetist. And this is Jay." 

His mouth dropped open a second time, and his second eye opened. "No kiddin'?" he asked.

"Yes. Joey did this."

Jay scowled and shifted beside you, saying, "Can ya put the pan down at least?" 

"Uh." Wally eyed you both warily, then dropped his hands to his sides. "I guess." He furiously rubbed his eyes with his fists, then blinked hard. "Tell me I'm dreamin'. There's a short wolf and demon that looks an awful lot like our cartoons. And they're my coworkers. This ain't real."

Jay leaned over and, out of the corner of his mouth, said, "Should we just knock him out and make a run for it?" 

You shook your head and stepped forward, having to tilt your head up to look at the lanky, young man. "Wally, listen to me." 

He sharply looked at you. 

"I need to know if you can trust us, and if we can trust you." Wally's eyebrows rose. You continued. "Tell me this. Jay has been cursed like this for three days. So that would mean he's been gone from work for three days. And I've been like this for one, so I obviously wasn't here today. If I'm wrong, and we _were_ there, then go ahead and chase us out."

Wally thought it over for a moment, shifting his feet. "Uh, yeah, you're right."

You took a deep breath and said, "And you can't tell anyone you saw us. And I mean _anyone_. I've still got some questions about why we're in danger," you said and looked over your shoulder at Jay, whose eyes narrowed, "but we'll be in huge trouble if you do." 

You could hear your pulse thudding in your ears. Your fate now rested in Wally's hands. Your relationship with him was minimal - the two of you only knew of each other, and had rarely interacted. But you had seen(more like heard) enough to know that the man liked to gossip about the studio's going ons. 

Wally stared at you. "You'll be in trouble?" he echoed.

You nodded. "Lots."

"All right." He firmly nodded once. "Your secret's safe with me." 

Your shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you." 

An awkward silence settled over the room. Jay then said, "Wally, ya mind lockin' the door?"

"Hm? Sure." A ring of keys rattled into work.

Wally then pocketed the keys and set the dustpan on the floor. He rocked back on his heels and said, "So Joey did this, huh? Crazy. I mean, he's a crazy guy, so I guess I get it." He paused and chuckled. "I s'pose I _was_ surprised when I heard you was gone, (Y/N). Sammy was 'bout to go off his rocker. Same with you, Jay."

Your eyes widened. That was right. No "sick days" were allowed. And you hadn't called in, so it was no wonder Sammy was upset. You were one of the two clarinets in the band, and, according to Sammy, when one instrument was gone, it threw the whole band's balance off.

Shaking the thought away, you glanced at Wally. "You're friends with Susie, right?" 

He nodded. 

"Can you do us a small favor?" you asked. 

His head cocked to the side. "Depends."

You glanced over your shoulder at Jay, who gave an affirming nod. You said, "Could you bring Susie in here? Just for a minute. We think she can help us get back to normal." 

Wally shrugged. "Sure, but, come to think of it, I didn't see her on my rounds today. I'll check though. Norman'll know what's up." 

"Thanks," you said. Wally collected his supplies and shut the door behind him, whistling a bouncy tune. You checked to verify that it was locked, then took a few steps away. You turned to Jay, who still watched the door. 

You crossed your arms over your chest, thinking back to the conversation you'd overheard on the stairs. "I'm confused. Joey is after you?" you said. 

He pinched the bridge between his nose and briefly closed his eyes. "Yeah."

"Is there anything else you should tell me about your deal with him?"

Jay frowned and remained silent, tail tip slowly twitching. 

You extended your hands out, palms up. "It could be important. Please?" 

He sighed. "Fine. Long story short, I stupidly agreed to a deal with the boss that I _thought_ would give me what I want. It was really unclear of what it was, but I still did, and, lo and behold, this happens." He motioned to himself, sagging against the pool table. "And I ran away the best I could. He wants me back for who knows why, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with that theme park that's bein' built - y'know, to have live characters inside of it."

You shivered. After a moment of silence, you asked, "Then why is Joey so interested in _you_?" 

Jay shrugged and absentmindedly fiddled with the bowtie on his neck. "Easy first target to experiment on, I guess." He paused. "Wait. You don't know who I am, do ya?" 

Your eyebrows rose slowly. "Yeah. . . Jay." 

"Carrington doesn't ring any bells?" 

That was his last name. "No."

He chuckled wryly. "You don't get out much, huh? I'm the only son of the Carrington's, the one and only family who blew the drama industry away." 

Your mouth formed a small 'o'. You knew of the famous couple, yet had never connected it to the cartoon standing before you. From your memory, the Carrington's were (and are) featured as stars in movies, shows, you name it. 

Before you could mull over it any longer, a small knock sounded. You scarcely heard the whisper, "It's me, Wally." You opened the door, and he gave a faltering smile as he slipped inside. 

Alone. 

"Where's Susie?" you asked. 

His sympathetic, light brown gaze met yours. "I talked to Norman and he said that he overheard Sammy sayin' there's been problems with her family. She won't be back for at least another two weeks." 

Your heart dropped, and you could hear Jay begin to mutter beneath his breath. 

Wally suddenly perked up. "But are ya sure she's the only one who can help you guys? I can try."

You shook your head with a small smile. "No, but thank you. You've been a great help already." 

Jay stepped towards the door. "We need to go," he said. 

You hesitated. "Actually, Wally, since I don't want to be fired, can you tell Sammy that you heard from me? And I said . . ." You trailed off. Said what? It had to be convincing; Joey didn't know that you were in this state, and he certainly couldn't find out. "Er, I came down with a really bad illness. So bad I can't go to our infirmary." Easily unbelievable and possibly worth a week (or two) of your paycheck, but it would have to do. 

Wally's shoulders straightened. "I got ya covered!" His head tilted to the side. "Where are you guys goin'? I don't really get what's goin' on, but it sounds like you're in trouble. Maybe I could find ya if I find anything important out." 

You and Jay hesitated and exchanged a glance. You looked to Wally and said, "Can you promise again you won't speak a word of this to anyone?" 

He made a zipping motion across his mouth. "My lips are sealed." 

You ignored Jay's burning, warning glare. "The storage room on level K. It kind of looks like a safehouse." 

Wally nodded, looking as if he was taking a mental note. "Aight. Whoo, some dream this is. Need outta here?" he said. Two nods. "I'll head out first, but if ya hear me talkin' real loud, that means someone's out in the lobby." 

You smiled. "Thanks again, Wally."

He tipped his flat cap to you with a crooked grin, dirty blond locks now awry as the cap settled back on his head. "Anytime, shortie." 

And he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you ever have any constructive criticism and/or thoughts about the story so far, I'd love to hear it in the comments!  
> Have a good day!


	8. Sorry

As you turned to glance at Jay, you found his (quite angry, I might add) gaze locked on you. Deciding to not press the issue at the time, you pressed your ear to the door. 

Silence. Suddenly, Wally talking, quite loudly. 

"Sammy, hey! I gotta say, what're ya doin' out here? Oh, the band's all done? Well, hold your horses. Ya see, I think I must've left my keys in the recording studio . . ."

His voice faded away. You breathed a silent thanks, then the two of you, in mutual agreement, pushed the door open and slipped out, making haste down the stairs. 

The rest of the trip to your hideout was uneventful, much to your relief and surprise. 

Jay closed the trapdoor, peering up to make sure it was sealed. He turned to find you sitting on the ground, back pressed against the nearest wall. 

"Are ya serious?" he asked, scalding gaze returning and boring into you. 

You tilted your head to look at him, exhaustion pulling at your limbs. You spread your hands out, palms up. "Jay, I don't _know_. What else was I supposed to do?" 

"I don't know," he said, sarcastically, "maybe _not_ tell the biggest loudmouth in the studio where we are?" 

Your eyes slipped shut, briefly. "Without Wally, we probably wouldn't have figured out that Susie isn't here. I think we can trust him." 

"You _think_ ," Jay said and deadpanned. "This is a matter of my _life_ , (Y/N)!"

You flinched. Then you wearily added, "My life, too."

He began to pace back and forth, saying, "Now Susie isn't here. We can't wait for her to come back, because-"

You interrupted. "I know. Our only option is the ink heart - or the Ink Machine. But, please, let's figure that out in the morning."

Jay paused in front of you, shoulders squaring and chin tilting indignantly. You opted for watching your gloved hands rather than him, shifting ever so slightly.

You spoke again before he could. "If Wally does rat us out, then I'm sorry. Okay?" 

A mutter. "Okay." 

You pushed yourself up to stand. "We'll talk in the morning." 

Jay hesitated, then asked, "Are you okay with me sleeping in the same room?" You paused. You'd forgotten - the two beds were placed in the same space. "It's fine," you said. 

(Just two days before, you wouldn't have imagined spending the night in the same room with one of your coworkers(a man, nevertheless), and you were sure your mindset might have been different if it wasn't for the situation. From what you gathered, Jay didn't seem to be dangerous, and you figured that one more night wouldn't make a difference.)

He nodded. You left. After using the bathroom, you returned to the room you had woken up in that morning; though it felt like it'd been days since then. 

You shuddered in exhaustion, letting your weight relax into the cot on ground level. Despite the adrenaline that had coursed through your veins earlier, unconciousness pulled at you, quickly bringing you to sleep. 

•

By the time you awoke, it was late morning(which you determined from the ticking Bendy clock in the corner). The second bed, or hammock, was empty. You sat up and rubbed your eyes, feeling much more refreshed(yet disappointed that the days before hadn't been a dream).

A couple of minutes passed as you made your way to the bathroom to use it and splash cold water over your face. After returning back to the sleeping quarters, you sat on the cot and simply thought. You glanced up when two horns poked in the doorway. 

"Oh. I thought I heard you up," Jay said and stepped into the room. 

You yawned. "Did you even sleep last night?" 

He nodded as he maneuvered his way up to the empty hammock, sitting on its edge.

"So . . ." he drawled, not meeting your gaze. "Sorry about what I said yesterday. Thomas hasn't come knockin' at our door, so we're good for now." He rubbed the back of his neck.

You studied him. It was unnerving to see a frown, no matter how small, on a cartoon who _never_ quit smiling, whether in the studio or on television; even if the person in front of you wasn't "the" cartoon. 

"It's okay." You sighed. "Sorry for not asking what you thought." 

Your eyes met. "Want to start over?" you asked hesitantly. 

He flashed white teeth, and your shoulders relaxed. "Sure," he said. "Nice to meet ya, wolf girl. I'm Jay, and we're stuck lookin' like cartoons while Joey hunts us down so we can be the next hit item on the shelves." 

You smiled. The tense atmosphere dissipated, then became quiet, only broken by the hum of the whirring fan overhead and the gurgles of the ink pipes. After a moment, Jay spoke, continuing his thoughts from the evening before. 

"So we can't try to get a kiss from Allison, huh?"

You shook your head slowly. Based on what you'd gathered from your work hours, Allison and Thomas were in a relationship. If anything, she would tell Thomas, and it would be over for the two of you.

Jay said, "What was that you said about the Ink Machine again?" 

"We have to shut it down, destroy it, or something along those lines." 

His eyes widened comically. "I'm pretty sure that's illegal," he said. 

You laughed and gestured at the two of you. "I'm not exactly in the mood to rethink my morals, but I'm pretty sure _this_ is illegal."

"Fair point." Jay hummed, now swinging his feet and rocking his hammock. "That'll be kinda hard. Isn't it up at the first level or somethin'?" 

You shrugged. "As far as I know. I don't go around to the other levels much." You paused, then said, "And we'll have to go at night."

He nodded in agreement, then tipped his head to the side and frowned. "But that room might be locked up." 

Your eyes met, and, at the same time, you and Jay said, "Wally." 

Smiling a bit, you nodded. "I guess we should try to find him at some point. Doesn't he work after hours sometimes?" 

Jay's tail flicked up and down. "Yeah. But he goes around on all the levels. And the only reason he'd come here is if he heard somethin' we need to hear." 

You both fell into silence again. Jay said, "I guess if we think of somethin' before five today, then we can go for it." You voiced your agreement. 

"Also, I found more soup cans, if ya want it," he added. 

"Thanks." 

You made your way to the main space and cooked the soup. Jay eventually trailed out behind you, deciding to take some for himself. Several moments passed as you both ate. 

Pushing the bowl away, you leaned back in your chair, eyes lighting up. "So what's it like being a voice actor?" you asked. 

Jay scoffed. "What kinda question is that?" 

You glanced away, hands resting in your lap. "I'm curious. And I think it'd be a fun job to have." 

(To say that was the understatement of the week was an understatement. Hours of late shifts in the convenience store, the happiness of a higher paycheck when hired at the studio flashed through your mind; all so you could save up to get the degree you needed to be a voice actress, and then be hired.)

He "pshhed" you and leaned back, arms propped behind his head. "You should be askin' what it's like to live the high life. No worries, anything money can buy . . ." He sighed dreamily. 

Your eyebrows rose. You thought for a moment, then said, "Wait. Are you talking about _your_ life? Because of your parents?" In other words, because of his family's money. 

He glanced at you, eyes half-lidded. "Hah, you're close. If _that_ was true, I wouldn't be workin' in this dump." He sharply exhaled. "They cut me off." 

Softly, you said, "Oh. Sorry."

"Yeah. Forced to _work_ ," Jay said, then shuddered. "I need a lucky break or somethin'. But it ain't gonna happen anytime soon." He laughed and sat forward. "But _you'd_ wanna be in my place?" 

Your eyes shifted away. You could hear his unspoken thought: how ironic. That one's dream job was anothers pastime to simply skate by in life. 

There was a brief pause, then, "'Nough about me. Let me know when ya get an idea about Wally." He pushed his chair back, and you watched him leave for a space away from you. 

You could hear the smile in his voice as he said, "And ya know where to find me."


	9. Risk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm super sorry for the late update. I was gone for over a week without time to write, and had planned to finish this chapter before it, but I didn't get it done. Things should be more consistent for the time being.  
> Thanks for reading!

Luckily, the idea you had been searching for showed up right at your doorstep. The same day, too. 

It was sometime early afternoon. After you were positive you were going to quickly become sick of the bacon soup(if you hadn't already, that is), you were to your own devices. Jay was off lounging, presumably in the sleeping area. 

Until faint noises sounded on the other side of the door. 

You straightened up and padded over, an ear lifting as you listened. Hardly daring to breath, all you heard was a quiet clunking.

You quickly went in search of Jay. 

"Jay."

"Hm?" 

"Someone's outside."

At that, he shot straight out of his hammock. He followed you to the door, spaded tail tip flicking. He took a turn listening, then stepped away. 

"Sounds like a GENT worker is doing something," he said quietly. "Any chance it could be Wally?" 

You both glanced at the door, and anxiety crawled at your skin. "I don't want to risk it," you whispered. 

He didn't answer. 

It went silent. You couldn't hear any footsteps, but you figured the person had been away far enough for you to not hear them walk off. 

Or they were still there. 

Jay took a step forward and reached for the lever that would activate the door. You stiffened. 

"What are you doing?" you asked.

He looked over his shoulder. "I'm going to sneak up and check who that was. We know it was a janitor, and if it was Wally, I'm not lettin' this chance escape. You can follow me, or you can stay here." 

You hesitated, weighing your options. "It's risky."

Jay cocked a brow. "And? If you never take risks, life'll get ya nowhere."

You bit your lip, then said, "Okay. I'm coming." 

He flipped the lever, and it painstakingly grinded open. He peeked around the corner, and you followed, every muscle tense and ready for flight. 

Just a few feet outside of the door were stacks of crates. Jay's face contorted at the sight of it. It took some maneuvering, but you both eventually got past them. 

Not even ten feet from your hideout, a man stepped from the shadows. 

You startled, and your hand shot out to take a hold of Jay's elbow.

But it was Wally, eyes wide as he stared at you. 

"You scared me half to death," you whispered. Catching a glance from Jay, you removed your hand from his arm. In a feeble attempt at a joke, Jay said, "Better not happen twice today." You weakly smiled, despite the erratic pace of your heart. 

"Sorry 'bout that," Wally said and sheepishly smiled. "What're ya guys doin' out here? It's not safe."

"Lookin' for you," Jay said, crossing his arms. 

Wally frowned, his brows knitting together. "That's lucky. A couple GENT workers are close by, so make it quick - but what happened? _I_ was down here 'cause I was barricadin' your hideout off so no one goes in there. Told the others it's gettin' a few repairs." 

You hurried to explain. "If it's okay, we need your help. Can we get to the Ink Machine off work hours?" 

Wally tugged his hat off and, with his other hand, scratched the top of his head. "Uh, I guess. You'll need my keys though. Problem is, Joey's having the thing sent down." 

When you and Jay's faces went blank at "sent down", he rapidly continued. "I guess ya don't know. The machine is on a pulley system and can go down to any level. Even the boss'." 

"Where is it goin' now?" Jay prompted. 

Wally frowned again. "Here on K, actually. But I can't help you guys today. The crew and me are workin' on big pipe repairs everywhere. Only day I can is . . ." He pulled his hat back on. "Two days from now. At seven pm." 

"Friday?" you confirmed. 

"Yeah."

You and Jay exchanged glances, then you nodded and said, "That works. Meet outside the safehouse?" 

Wally nodded, glancing over his shoulder. Suddenly, voices echoed down the hallway. "I need to get outta here. See ya then." 

And with that, he was off. Silent, you both headed back for the safehouse. Jay shut the door, checked it was sealed, then let his head lean against it. He yelped as his horns promptly clacked against the wood, and he stepped forward, rubbing the sharp tips. 

He groaned and covered his face with his hands. You watched him silently, then piped up after a moment. "It hurt that much?" 

Jay smiled close-lipped and leveled a half-hearted glare at you. "Haha. No - I'm upset I have to stay _here_ ," he threw his hands up and strode forward, "until the end of the week." 

And so the time passed. 

And in that time, you learned a few things. 

Firstly, trapped indoors, in one space, with one person, for nearly a whole week, can be overwhelming.

Secondly, you found Jay, when he was antsy, enjoyed pranks. 

Those two things combined equaled a miniature hell.

The first night, the same day you had made plans with Wally, Jay thought it would be a fantastic idea to pour ink over your pillow that adorned your cot. 

So, when you went to lay down for the night, you discovered a sticky liquid meeting your scalp. A shout quickly rose up. Ink stuck to your hair strands, you shot into the main space, blood boiling. 

Jay looked up, and, for a split second and to your slight satisfaction, his features fearfully contorted.

He managed a weak, mischievous smirk at your bedraggled sight. You didn't say anything, but rather stormed to the bathroom. Jay hesitantly tagged along, lingering behind you. 

Finally, as you turned the sink's tap on and bent down, you said, "What in the _world_ was this for?" 

"I got bored. It's so dull in here, and this spiced it-"

You cut in. "There's other ways of entertaining yourself than torturing me. And my hair."

You straightened up a tad, watching him grin in the mirror and say, "I dunno. That new hairstyle looks pretty inkredible to me." 

"Get out."

At least an hour later of scrubbing your head under the running sink, the ink was gone. For the most part. 

You didn't talk to him for the next twenty-four hours. 

The second night, the two of you played cards. 

You were cleaning bowls in the sinks when Jay approached you. He sidled up to your side, and you startled at his close presence.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," you said and kept your gaze trained on your work. You resisted the upwards tug on your lips as Jay pouted in your peripheral vision. 

"I just wanted to say hi." 

You didn't respond. 

"Aw, c'mon. You're not still mad at me for that, are ya?" 

You shrugged. "Depends." 

"I'll make it up to ya." 

"How?" You flicked your fingers, sending water droplets flying. Gathering and stacking the bowls in your hands, you began to make your way to the main space. 

Jay followed, and you glanced at him as you placed the dishes on a shelf. A contemplative look crossed his features, and he tapped a curved finger on his smooth chin. "I've got a few ideas." He sent a suggestive wink your way. 

At your expression, he laughed and crossed the room. "Kidding. Here." He showed a deck of cards to you with a flourish. 

"Cards?" you said. 

"Duh. Want to?" 

You agreed, and you both settled at the table. As his nimble fingers swiftly dealt the cards, he explained the game. 

After a few clarifications, you began. You played in silence, but before you knew it, Jay had won. 

You looked at your hand, then the cards he had laid on the table, mouth dropping. You hadn't expected the game to end so quickly. "How'd you do that?" you asked. 

Jay smirked. "Practice. Wanna do another round?" 

You nodded and started afresh. Yet again, he won a second time.

Grinning triumphantly, he scooped a card up. In a quick movement, he reached up with one hand and attempted to balance it on one of his horns. You began to laugh, and said, "You're going to stab through it." 

"Nah. These are my trophies." Tongue sticking out, he got it to precariously stay. Your laughter continued as he tried another one on the other horn and succeeded. 

He folded his hands together and clasped them under his chin, leaning forward slowly until his elbows rested on the table. He met your gaze and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Change your mind on me bein' amazing?" he said. 

"Not yet." 

" _Yet_. Folks, we've got some progress!" He straightened up, and the cards fluttered to the ground. He bent down to pick them up. "Well, wolf girl, let's try these cards more." 

So into the evening you played.

Forgetting the inky hair fiasco, casual conversation sprung up. As Jay animatedly voiced his opinions of coworkers and favorite foods, you found yourself easily drawn in, allowing you to add your thoughts with ease. 

And so the evening ended, with Jay's: 

all wins,

glance at the six tallies marked for the days passed hovering on the wall and over your shoulder,

and, when you weren't looking, lingering gaze on your features.


	10. Run

If Jay had learned anything in the past few years, weeks, and days, it was that life sure liked to take people out of their comfortable little schedule. 

And he hated it. 

He just wanted his body and life back. Not this shell of a demon that Joey had put him in.

That Jay had put his own self in.

He leaned against the doorframe, foot tapping a rhythm on the floor as he waited for you. You were both due to meet Wally in less than five minutes. 

The addition of you in this mess did change a few things. 

When he first met you, Jay thought you were _annoying_. 

You had fainted, and he carried you _all the way here_. And what was your thanks? Not leave him be, per his request, but stay in the small space with him. 

Again, he hated it. 

Not _you_ , but the change, the situation, the whole thing. For God's sake, he wanted out.

After the brief argument the two of you had shared on the second day, his opinion of you being quite annoying didn't budge.

Until Thursday night(or, the fourth day of being together).

While you played cards, he found himself noticing things he hadn't noticed before. 

Nothing big. Just the certain way you moved your hands to emphasize your words. Or, when he cracked a joke or you found something particularly funny, the way your smile lit up your eyes, your face, the room. 

And maybe he realized you were "annoying" simply for the fact that he wasn't used to being told no. And maybe now he didn't mind your prescence as much as before, but rather enjoyed it. 

Only when Jay had realized he was watching you a little too intensely did he recognize this, the something off in his behavior.

He had decided that the constant inky scent of the studio was getting to him. 

He sighed and craned his neck, but you were nowhere in sight.

"All right, wolf girl, the clock's comin' close to seven. Hurry it up!"

Jay's voice echoed against the walls, and you called over your shoulder, "I'm coming!"

You paced across the resting space, eyes searching it and lighting up when they landed on your targets.

The two plushies: a Boris and a Bendy.

Also known as the two dolls that had appeared right after each of your cartoon transformations. You scooped them up and hurried to the door. "Okay - ready." 

Jay cocked a brow, a smirk rising on his lips as he looked you over. " _Why_ are you takin' those along?" 

You glanced down at them. "Why not?" They were light to carry, and soft. And cute, too. A small comfort in this little expedition for freedom.

"Whatever. C'mon." He flipped the switch and peeked around the corner. Tension drained from his shoulders, and he stepped out. 

You followed, heart lightening at the sight of Wally. He grinned and waved at you, saying, "Hey guys!" 

"Hi!" you said, and Jay nodded in greeting. You closed the door and asked, "Are we good to go?" 

Wally nodded enthusiastically and lifted his forefinger, where a ring of keys dangled. As he spoke, you noted the exhausting bags shading his brown eyes. "Yep. I made sure everyone was cleared out in the surrounding levels. Thomas closed down this level after everyone left, but we're alone; it's been a long week for everyone." 

"Tell me about it," Jay murmured and trekked behind the two of you as you set off. You quickly brought up Thomas and his association with Joey, but didn't go into much detail. You left it at: "Joey recruited some people to try to find us. Thomas is one of them." Wally appeared disturbed at that, and he kept quiet. 

It was a longer trip than you had expected; when compared to the Music Department's level, level K was oddly complex. When you voiced that thought to Wally, he (softly)laughed like it was the best joke he had ever heard. He said, "You should see some of the other levels below. They're ten times worse." 

You raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Still walking down the half-illuminated hallway, Wally cast a glance to you, worry sparking in his eyes. "Say," he whispered, "are you guys doin' okay? Food wise?" 

You nodded. "We're fine. The water and stove are working, and there's plenty of bacon soup." 

"Good. Sorry for not askin' about that before." Wally fell quiet for a moment, then said, "And anyways, what're you gonna do to the Ink Machine?"

You forced your expression to remain neutral, and Jay loudly coughed behind you. You had already discussed that you would keep that bit of information a secret. Wally was a GENT worker, obviously, and that machine had taken his company hours upon hours to complete. You weren't sure how he would take it if you told him you were going to destroy the thing. 

But you hadn't come up with what to say if Wally asked. 

You pressed your lips into a line and kept your gaze trained on the path ahead. "Um, it's . . ." For whatever reason, your mind was drawing blank. Jay cleared his throat, appearing ready to jump to the rescue, but you said(maybe a little too quickly), "There's a part of it that will let us go back to our normal bodies."

You weren't lying, exactly. Yet not the most convincing. You looked at Wally, who shrugged. "Okay," he said, carefree.

You glanced over your shoulder, and Jay gave you a shrug and a thumbs up. 

That was easy, but it didn't help quench the sudden unexplained, uneasy twist in your stomach. 

After navigating through a few winding hallways, several rooms were crossed in silence: first, the massive toy factory space, then a smaller toy workspace, and finally a room stock full of Alice Angel merchandise. The amount of pie-cut eyes watching you was unsettling, to say the least.

Then there was a branch of paths - "The Demon" and "The Angel". Wally paused, appearing to listen ahead. When a beat passed, you whispered, "Does it matter which one we follow?" He shook his head, seemingly satisfied that it was clear. "Nah, they go to the same place." 

Jay whisked past you and strutted towards the demon path. "Then we should obviously take this one," he said. 

You shook your head with a small smile and followed. As your steps echoed on the wooden boards, you turned to Wally, shifting the cottony weight of the dolls in your arms. "Why are you doing this? This could get you in big trouble. And you might lose your job." 

He grinned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Heh, I know. I've thought about it." You locked eyes. "And if I've learned anything workin' here, it's that the studio is my family. And family is more important to me than money. Though the GENT thing was - is a pretty nice gig." 

You smiled, warmth flooding down to your toes. "Thank you so much. It means a lot." 

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. "‘Course." He cleared his throat. "Also, _you_ might have a hard time gettin' your job back, (Y/N). Both of ya, I guess. Sammy's still furious you haven't shown up, and there's only so much I can say." 

You groaned. "I'll deal with it afterwards." You'd given it some thought, but, after this fiasco, the concept of working for Joey Drew seemed to be very unlikely - even though it meant losing your high(higher than your previous jobs, that is) paycheck. 

Jay eventually fell back in step with you as a new winding hallway came into sight. Wally used his keys to unlock another door, and it creaked open. This time, a shadowy room filled with racks and racks of plushies of the three main characters met your eyes. It was maze-like and dim, the aisles messily mixing and blurring together. 

Wally slipped in front of you, took the lead, and whispered over his shoulder, "After this room, there's only a little further left to go, and we'll be there." Then your trio fell quiet as you crept along. 

And then there was noise. 

Mutters of one person, coming close. You and Jay froze as Wally turned around and frantically gestured with his hands. You quickly understood, grabbed Jay's hand, and tugged him along. Once you were mostly hidden by the racks on both sides, you crouched down and motioned for Jay to do the same. He did, and your shoulders brushed as you waited with bated breath. 

Through the slots, you saw Wally quietly stalk forward. With a glance your way and a motion to stay put, he stepped out of the opposite door. 

Jay practically growled beneath his breath. "I don't like this. It's a trap."

You blinked and put a finger to your lips, still staring straight ahead. He fell silent. Wally had reappeared.

With Thomas Connor. 

Wally was on Thomas' heels, hands clenching by his sides. 

Thomas. "Son, I told you before, I'm closing down this level for the weekend. Why are you here?"

Your eyes widened as they landed on something in the middle of the pathway.

The two dolls. 

You inwardly cursed. You must have dropped them in your haste to hide. The room had plushies scattered about, but none, besides yours, were in the middle of the pathways.

Wally frowned and lengthened his stride to stop and stand in front of Thomas. Now both of their side profiles were in sight; you barely dared to move. 

"I was just checkin' up on the Ink Machine, sir. And, I . . ."

Wally's chatter continued on. Jay leaned close to whisper in your ear. "I say we sneak out to the Ink Machine. Tom's probably gonna search the room, so we've gotta move." 

You sharply looked at him, frantically shaking your head. "We can't! We have to trust Wally to get him away." 

Jay returned your expression with a glare of his own. "So ya don't trust _me_?" 

You put your finger over your lips again, watching Thomas. He and Wally hadn't moved, but he peered over Wally's shoulder at the two dolls sprawled on the floor. Thomas sidestepped the younger man and bent at his waist to pick them up. 

And Jay was standing up, preparing to creep towards the door. 

You were torn, but began to stand as well. You couldn't say anything else without being heard, but you couldn't just sit on the side and watch Jay blow it on his own.

Blood roaring in your ears, you didn't hear what Thomas said as he scooped the Bendy doll up in his hand and promptly threw it against the nearest wall. It flopped down among a pile of similar toys with a forlorn squeak.

Wally jumped, then caught sight of you and Jay. He mouthed "no", but Jay was off. You crept after him, attempting to keep your steps light on the floorboards. Wally turned back to Thomas and began to speak again, gesturing wildly with his arms.

One more aisle, and you were home free. 

_Creak._

And it wasn't your foot that had elicited that noise, but Jay's.

You looked over your shoulder, heart tightening in fear as Thomas whirled around. He locked eyes with you and his eyes widened, disbelief evident in their depths. Whether it was disbelief of seeing you, a humanoid cartoon wolf, or Jay behind you, the one he'd been ordered to search for, you didn't know. Probably both. 

Jay tugged you out of your stupor by shouting, "Run!" 

And run you did. 

There was a shout and a grunt(Wally had been pushed out of the way), then quick footsteps. 

Jay and you darted forward, the demon taking the lead as you crossed the hallway that contained two doors. The largest, electronically run door was open, and Jay pulled you around its corner and stopped. 

"Stay here," he said, speaking so rapidly that you had to strain to understand. "There's two levers to close this, I'm gonna get the far one and distract Tom, you get the other one. Flip it when I yell."

You opened your mouth, but before you could protest or agree, he took off in a sprint the way you had just came. 

"Hey Tommy! This way!"

"Why you little-"

You held your breath as you heard more footsteps, then you peeped out. Empty.

You went to the lever, hands trembling as they hovered above the stick. 

"Go, (Y/N)!"

You pulled and sprinted to the door, which had already begun to grind shut. You made it in time.

Then time seemed to slow. 

(Time is slippery like that. A brief moment goes all too fast, faster than it should be. But then your mind's eye captures every minuscule movement like a photograph, giving the illusion of slowness to a quick second, an instant one could only wish was longer.)

The door was halfway shut. Jay tore into sight, a disheveled Thomas following a split second behind.

There wasn't much space left. Your fingerpads dug into your palms. 

Jay barreled through, just as the door thudded shut behind him. His chest heaved as he caught himself from running you over, and Thomas yelled from behind your only separation, the piece of metal.

"Wally, go get the other lever and pull it - now!" 

"But boss, there's-"

You didn't wait to see what happened next. You both took off on a dead sprint. 

Jay explained between quick breaths. "We couldn't go the way we came, otherwise Tom would realize where we're stayin'. The stairs and lift have gotta be here somewhere, so as long as we keep ahead of him, we go to the floor above and use the trapdoor." 

"Okay," you said, breathless. That was smart. Yet you could only hope that your trip would indeed beat the older man out. 

And it did. 

Within seconds, you emerged into a lofty room, and, lo and behold, there was the lift and beside it, the stairs. Jay, in his haste, stumbled down the last two steps and fell on his knees. He hissed a curse and pushed himself up with his hands, then hurried to the door.

As he entered the staircase, he realized that you hadn't followed. He stuck his head out. "Get in here!" he said, voice hovering between a whisper and a shout. 

The lift was resting on this level, and you pressed the button to open its cage. Adrenaline trembling your body, the gates clattered open and you stepped inside, pressed a button to a lower level number, and jogged out before it could close you in. Then you hurried to Jay, and he closed the staircase door behind you. 

His questioning expression dissolved. Your actions didn't need an explanation - Thomas would hear the lift and assume you were descending to a lower level; therefore he would pursue the opposite direction.

Not bothering to wait and see if the trick worked, you both raced up the one flight of stairs and across the level(which you were thankful to find it was a simple, mostly storage type area), peeled the trapdoor open, and shakily made it to sweet, sweet safety.


	11. Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up on the timeskips in this chapter, the first scene jumps to Sunday morning, and then it goes back to where we left off last chapter. ^^
> 
> I just wanted to say, thank you all so much for the support you've shown this, and for reading it too! I hope your summer has been good, and if you're in school, that the school year goes well. ♡

"I just need a little more time." 

A Sunday morning, and an empty office. Joey Drew stood in front of his desk. Still. Eyes smoothly shut. Head perfectly forward. 

"I promised you souls, and souls you will get." A pause, then, "You give me until the full moon? Yes, of course. I understand - a deal's a deal." 

A knock. 

Joey flinched and opened his eyes. He moved to sit behind his desk and said, "Come in." 

Thomas entered and shut the door with a click. When he turned around, one of Joey's eyebrows rose. He had never seen this man so _tired_ ; Thomas' peppered hair was a mess, eyes bagged with exhaustion, and posture slouched. Nevertheless, he strode forward and nodded to Joey. 

Joey folded his hands together and propped his elbows on the wood. "Any good news?" 

Thomas' eyes shifted uncertainly behind his rounded glasses. "I - yes, sir. I mean no." 

"Then spit it out."

Thomas said, "I saw them. Him."

Now both of Joey's eyebrows rose. "And I trust you captured him?" 

Thomas transferred his weight back and forth on his feet, Adam's apple bobbing. "He escaped."

Joey simply stared at him, muscles still as a statue. Finally, he asked, "How, and where did he go?" 

"I'm not quite sure. It was on level K, two evenings ago. They blocked me from continuing to chase them, and they used the lift to go down, but I searched the levels below and didn't see anything. Also, Wally was there." Joey immediately frowned, but Thomas hurried on. "But don't worry. I asked him what he saw, and all he saw was their backs. He's clueless that they are cartoons, and to what I'm doing."

Joey's blue eyes fluttered shut, a vein in his temple throbbing; if only he had come to the studio the day before. "Would you care to tell me who the _they_ you keep referring to are?" he asked.

"There's a young woman accompanying Mr. Carrington. She looks quite similar to Boris, as Jay is to Bendy. The young man yelled a name, but it slipped my mind in the chaos."

Joey's fist banged against his desk. Thomas jumped and shrunk back. Tone low and quavering, Joey said, "You're telling me that you let Jay go, and there's another cartoon here that I didn't create, _and_ you forgot her name? Marvelous. Absolutely incredible."

"I'm apologize; I did my best. But, to be honest, this is getting out of hand. My job is _not_ to run around the studio. Are you positive that this is worth-?"

Joey cut him off with a raised hand. "Enough." Thomas fell silent. Joey said, "You are getting paid quite enough for this. As I said before, this is worth much more than you could ever comprehend. If I'm questioned again, I can assure you that you and your company will no longer have a place in this studio. Or at any other business, for that matter." The two men both knew that if Joey became involved in taking the GENT company's reputation into his hands, they could fall into ruin. Thomas' thick eyebrows drew together, but he didn't attempt to speak out any further.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the men and just outside of the office, a certain lanky janitor pressed close to the wall.

Joey then murmured to himself, distractedly running his fingers through his blond hair, "If I just had that damned doll, everything would fall into place." 

The doll was an aspect he sorely needed; it granted him control of the other person - or, rather, control of their soul, allowing him to tether said soul to the cartoon vessel for as long as needed. If he had the doll in his grasp, then he wouldn't be worried about the deal he had struck with the other side, the consequences _he_ would face if he failed to return and study Jay and then begin the tethering process with other humans-

"Excuse me, but a doll?" 

Blue eyes snapped up. "What?"

Thomas said, "I remember there were two dolls; they were in the toy maker factory, in the aisle. A Bendy and a Boris." 

Joey tensed. "Since you're clearly incompetent for the previous task, _get those dolls_. You can tell them apart from the rest of the merchandise by a J inscribed in the foot. I don't care how long it takes, but do it. Now. Also, send the Ink Machine up two levels from K." 

"Right away, Mr. Drew." 

Footsteps scuffled as he moved to the door. Joey spoke up. "And on your way out, tell my secretary to bring me all of the files of women under the age of thirty that are employed here. And, for God's sake, get someone to help you who is in good shape." 

Thomas nodded, then he was gone. 

A moment later, Joey flipped through the files, muttering under his breath. He skimmed the names and the clock-in status of the past week.

Then he landed on you. 

(Y/N), twenty years old, and gone from work in the music department for four days, or since Tuesday, with a vague explanation. Joey had dealt with Jay seven days ago. 

His lip curled in a sneer as he glanced through your documents. "Interesting," he murmured. He placed it aside, eyes fluttering shut. 

At least there was a backup plan. 

You.

•

You and Jay stared at each other. 

Friday evening. Terrified. Unsure. Heaving chests. 

You exhaled, and it felt like you were deflating. And you spoke.

"This is bad." 

Jay didn't say anything as you continued, though softer as you remembered that Thomas could be in the vicinity. "This is _really_ bad. I didn't expect that. What do we do?"

He began to pace, watching the floor. Next were curses muttered repeatedly under his breath. After a moment passed, he paused in front of you. 

"Don't worry about it," Jay said. 

You frowned and said, "You're joking, right? There are so many reasons to worry, and-"

You fell quiet as he took a step forward and leveled his gaze down at you, his hands settling on your shoulders. When you reflected back on that moment, you realized that any time before you may have shrugged him off; but his touch was light and cool - it was settling, grounding. "It's out of our control," he said, "I'm freaked out too, but we can't panic." 

You glanced away and nodded. "You're right." Even amidst your fear, you were impressed that he had taken the initiative, even though it was slight, to calm your racing mind and heart.

"‘Course I am," he said with a weak smile, and his arms dropped. 

"Now what?" you asked, mostly to yourself. Jay perked up anyways as he took a step back. "I dunno," he said.

You frowned. "This is what we know. Thomas will report back to Joey. But he doesn't know where we are. And depending on what he knows, Joey will probably know to keep us away from the Ink Machine." It was still strange to talk and think about your boss in such a dark light, the one who you had once thought was charismatic and possibly the best employer you could ever ask for. 

Boy, were you wrong. 

Jay nodded as you listed the things, ticking them off on your fingers. You looked at each other and, at the same time, gave a weary shrug. 

"I'm hopin' Wally'll drop by soon," he said, tail lazily swinging back and forth. He reached for his bowtie and tugged at it. "‘Cause maybe then we can sort somethin' out."

You couldn't help but give a small smile. "Look at you, trusting the one you thought was our enemy." 

He scoffed, but the corners of his eyes crinkled. "Well, he did do his best to keep Tom away. Gotta give the poor guy some credit." Jay's eyes lit up. "And maybe he can bring by some food! _Normal_ food. God, I'd give anything for somethin' other than soup." 

You shushed him -- his voice had begun to rise in volume -- but the corners of your mouth tugged up. Before your thoughts could drift further, your eyes drifted to his knee. There was a shallow cut, and it oozed something dark. Jay seemed ready to speak, but you asked, "Are you okay?" 

Jay's gaze followed yours, and he scoffed. "I'll be fine. Clumsy isn't a usual look on me."

You insisted that he clean it up, and he finally relented. After he finished, he popped back into the main room, asking, "Cards?" 

You gave in, despite the decisions that still needed to be made, and you played into the evening. The quiet game wasn't as lighthearted as the night's before, but it gave both of you a short break in the mayhem of that night. When you decided to sleep and to make a plan in the morning, you found darkness quickly washed over you. 

The following day passed in a blur. Meals were eaten. Your makeshift notebook(Joey's book) was pulled out. Ideas were exchanged, then promptly scratched out. And a halfhearted decision was made. 

Wait for Wally. 

You were both uneasy that your fate still rested in his hands, but even more so at this point. Without him, you didn't know the Ink Machine's location, the other worker's whereabouts, etc.. 

That Saturday night, Jay had come up to stand beside you where you sat at the round table. 

"Wolf girl."

You tilted your head to the side. "Hm?"

"Let's go." 

You raised an eyebrow and finally looked up at him. "Where? Down the toilet drain?" 

That drew a chuckle from him, and he pointed up. "To the roof."

"What? That's crazy." 

"I know, but let me explain. I've been up there." When both of your eyebrows rose, he laughed. "Once, a few months ago. I swear it was for a good reason. Anyways, let's go outside. All we gotta do is climb to the top of the stairs without bein' caught, and there's a trapdoor to the roof. I'm sick of this place, and we haven't seen the sun in-" 

You cut him off with a smile and a nod, and you began to stand up. "Okay - let's go." 

His mouth formed a small 'o'. "Really? I thought you'd say," the demon adopted a tone to mimic yours, though higher(and more annoying) than usual, " _no, we'll get caught because Jay's sneaking skills are bad_."

You laughed and lightly pushed his arm. "You're right, I might say that," you said, "but I haven't had a breath of fresh air in a week."

Jay turned and practically skipped over to where the cord hung. Then he looked over his shoulder and his lips quirked up. "Whad'ya mean? You're lookin' at him." 

You grinned. "Hilarious." 

He snorted, the stairs came tumbling down, and up you went.

It should be self-explanatory that, yes, you were fearful of being caught by a stray janitor or animator on your trip, especially after what had transpired the evening before. But you were reassured by the fact that it was a Saturday night(the studio was typically open on weekdays), the upper levels were small, and Thomas would have already searched them. And when Jay tugged down an especially stubborn, dusty trapdoor, and the wind hit your face, it all went away. 

(And, yes, you were safe for the remainder of that night. Another lucky stroke, perhaps.)

You caught Jay smiling at you as he offered you a hand when you reached the top of the short ladder. You accepted his help, and the contact was gone as soon as it began once your feet were firmly planted on the shingles. 

That's when the question arose in your mind: what was Jay to you, and you to Jay? Still a coworker, only on speaking terms because you were forced to live together thanks to a madman? Or friends, perhaps? Friends - you would like to think that. 

And the question had arisen because of that smile. Something noticeable about Jay was that he smiled - a lot. A flash of teeth, with a hint of a smirk. But you realized as you held his gaze for that split second that this was his true smile: relaxed cheeks, crinkling eyes, and a little crook up on the left side.

Silently, you both took a seat on the surface; it was flat, and you were in the middle. The shadowy tops of trees were distinguishable against the dark sky, and the faint sound of traffic echoed in the crisp air. You allowed your thoughts and eyes to drift to the huge, sleepy expanse stretching above you. 

The stars were like nothing you had ever seen as they glimmered and pulsed and shone.

You tilted your head back and let your eyes drift shut, hands resting in the curve of your lap. The wind lapped at your chin, and when you opened your eyes again after ten seconds, the amount of stars you could make out had multiplied. A smile took over your face. 

Jay. "Your neck is gonna kill ya tomorrow if ya keep that up." 

You chuckled and glanced at him, but he too was watching the sky, features soft. 

Moments passed in content silence. The only thing that disturbed the peaceful mood was the moon hanging in the sky, nearly a third of it filled with white.

Neither of you mentioned it out loud. 

Jay suddenly said, "I've never done this before."

"Which?" you said, "Get changed to a toon? Kiss a stranger?" 

He gave a small smile and shook his head, glittering, black eyes staring ahead. "Appreciate nature like this." 

You tilted your head to the side. There was a pause, then you said, "Would you mind me asking you something?" 

Jay finally looked at you. "Yes. But I bet you will anyway." His small smile remained, indicating he was teasing. 

You propped yourself back with palms flat behind you and shoulders oddly angled. "You don't have to tell me, but how did you end up here? In the studio?" That question had been dangling in the air ever since he had told you of his well-off parents. 

He hummed at that and directed his gaze away. "Myself." 

While that wasn't entirely clear, you waited, and he finally said, "Myself. I gambled and drank way too much. I was irresponsible, drank money away, so my parents cut me off." 

His tone was different. Not light, not bouncy, but serious, melancholy. You didn't respond, eyes also forward. The atmosphere thrummed with something you would have never guessed Jay would show: vulnerability. 

Jay continued. "I don't live like that anymore, and I know deserved it, but I still hate to look back at it. And it wasn't too long ago either." He deeply sighed. "The worst part is, I think I'd go right back and do it all over it again if I could. Even if I hate that part of me."

Before you could acknowledge your own movements, you sat forward. Your hand drifted to his hand resting on his knee, wrapped around it, and gave it a light squeeze.

Jay glanced at you, an eyebrow raising. But the eyebrow fell, and he squeezed back, looking away. Then you let go of his hand and clasped yours together. Somewhat uncertain, you said, "I think if you tried to let it go and keep moving forward, you'd be just fine, like you are now." 

His eyes lit up at your words. That's when you glanced up and saw a star streak across the sky; it was bright, just like his eyes. 

He broke the silence. "So what's your story?" 

After a moment of thought, you told him of the past couple of years - maybe both of your childhoods could be discussed another time. You told him of your convenience store job, the hope of saving up enough to make it to school for voice acting, Joey hiring you. To finish, you said, "Work consumes almost everything right now. But I'm not giving up on the voice acting. So, after this, I'll be on the search for another job. Or two." 

By the time you finished talking, you had situated yourself to lie down on your back. Jay had done the same. 

He was quiet, then he softly said, "I'm sorry."

You turned your head to look at him. The shadows did an odd dance against his high cheekbones. "What for?" you asked.

"This." He gestured at the space between you, not meeting your gaze. "Askin' you to kiss me. If it weren't for me, ya might be on your way to school right now."

"It's all right, and thank you," you said. "And I'm sorry Joey did this."

You fell quiet, let his words float around your mind, and found your eyes drifting shut. 

Then an elbow in your side. Indignant, you shifted away from the intruding touch and peeled your eyes open. The moon was beginning its descent. Jay had leaned over, a hand cupping his cheek and an elbow bracing himself up. "Get up, wolf girl." 

You groaned and propped yourself up. "I could've used less elbow in that." 

His eyes rolled. "Well, I really don't want either of us fallin' asleep here, 'cause no thank you on carryin' ya down the stairs again." You smiled and stood, shaking out the numb parts of your body. 

Then, with turned backs on the moon that signaled two and a half weeks left to go, two friends made their way back to a safehouse.


End file.
